The United States will arm the F-16 fighter jets it plans to provide to Ukraine as a morale booster for Kyiv. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Defense will equip these F-16s with American-made missiles. The Pentagon has agreed to arm these jets with air-to-air missiles and other modern weaponry, specifying that Kyiv can use these missiles against attacks from Russian territory only in response to attacks from across the border.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced during a NATO summit that the U.S. and its allies have begun transferring F-16 jets to Ukraine. The Netherlands and Denmark have also decided to provide F-16s, with training for Ukrainian pilots already underway. The Netherlands stated that the first aircraft would be delivered in the summer of 2024, while Denmark confirmed that the jets could be used against Russia. The WSJ noted that Belgium and Norway are also preparing to send F-16s. Belgium announced it would deliver 30 aircraft by 2028.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the supply of F-16s is a deliberate signal and that these jets, like other Western weapons, will be destroyed and will not change the situation on the front.
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